Moving to or from Alaska
Moves between Alaska and the lower 48 go by ship or barge from Tacoma or by road through Canada. Matson's household-goods rates, in effect since June 1, 2026, put a 20-foot container at about $6,250 from Tacoma to Anchorage and $3,370 the other way, before trucking and loading.
Ocean freight: from $6,250
Moving from Washington to Alaska goes by ship or barge through Tacoma, or by road through Canada. Ocean freight alone for a 2–3 bedroom home runs about $6,250 to $8,620; trucking to and from the ports and the loading are extra.
These are published prices for a 2–3 bedroom home, dated in each row, not quotes for your move. Ocean freight changes with fuel surcharges and sailing schedules, so get at least three written quotes.
| Moving method | Published range |
|---|---|
| Rental truck through Canada We found no published price for this route and home size. | Get quotes |
| Moving container, door to door We found no published price for this route and home size. | Get quotes |
| Shipping container you load, port to port Matson's published household-goods rates (from June 1, 2026, with its 10.5% fuel surcharge): 20-ft container from Tacoma to Anchorage, up to 40-ft. Add trucking and loading. | $6,250 – $8,620 |
| Full-service movers We found no published price for this route and home size. | Get quotes |
Port-to-port rows cover the ocean leg only: add trucking to and from the ports, loading and unloading. Driving to Alaska crosses Canada, so bring passports or other documents accepted at the border.
Ranges combine 198 published quote ranges on 22 interstate routes (moveBuddha, retrieved 2026-09-24) with 47 independent published prices from U-Pack, HireAHelper and Move.org, which raised the top of several ranges. They are not quotes; get at least three written estimates.
Alaska and Hawaii ranges come from published carrier rates and moving quotes, dated in each row (Matson's household-goods rates, U-Pack, Royal Hawaiian Movers). See how we estimate.
For a 2–3 bedroom home, published prices start at about $6,250 of ocean freight to move to Alaska and $3,370 of ocean freight to move away, before trucking and loading. Use the calculator for other home sizes and states.
What an Alaska move costs, by home size
Published prices from carriers and moving companies, 2025–2026. A move between Alaska and the lower 48 goes by ship or barge through Tacoma, or by road through Canada, so the price depends on how you ship and which way you go: shipping to Alaska costs much more than shipping back.
Moving to Alaska from the lower 48
| Method | Studio–1 BR | 2–3 BR | 4+ BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental truck through Canada | $4,230–$4,830 | no published price | no published price |
| Moving container, door to door | From $4,130 | no published price | no published price |
| Shipping container you load, port to port | no published price | $6,250–$14,460 | $8,620–$17,010 |
| Full-service movers | no published price | no published price | no published price |
Moving from Alaska to the lower 48
| Method | Studio–1 BR | 2–3 BR | 4+ BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental truck through Canada | no published price | no published price | no published price |
| Moving container, door to door | no published price | no published price | no published price |
| Shipping container you load, port to port | no published price | $3,370–$10,870 | $4,440–$10,870 |
| Full-service movers | no published price | no published price | no published price |
A dash means we found no published price. Port-to-port rows are the ocean leg only. Prices are for Anchorage unless a row says otherwise. The sources and dates are below.
Matson's published container rates (June 1, 2026)
Matson publishes household-goods container rates each year for military moves and says they may also apply to personal moves. They cover the ocean leg between Anchorage and the port of Tacoma, or an inland rail ramp, from June 1, 2026. Matson carries the container; you arrange the trucking to and from the ports. We added Matson's fuel surcharge (10.5% since April 12, 2026) and its 8% rail fuel surcharge on the inland leg.
| To Anchorage | From Anchorage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port or rail ramp | 20 ft | 40 ft | 20 ft | 40 ft |
| Port of Tacoma, WA | $6,250 | $8,620 | $3,370 | $4,440 |
| Kansas City, KS | not offered | $12,350 | not offered | $9,200 |
| Baltimore, MD | not offered | $13,720 | not offered | $10,110 |
| New Orleans, LA | not offered | $14,220 | not offered | $10,870 |
| Jacksonville, FL | not offered | $14,270 | not offered | $10,390 |
| Houston, TX | not offered | $14,460 | not offered | $10,820 |
A 45-ft container costs $11,170 to Anchorage from Tacoma. Rows after the first are Matson inland rail ramps, quoted only for 40- and 45-ft containers. Rates are per container, before trucking, loading and the Port of Alaska charge (PAMP), which the rate sheet does not list. Source: Matson, Alaska household goods rates (effective June 1, 2026) (opens in new tab) and Matson household goods fuel surcharge notice (April 2026) (opens in new tab).
Driving a rental truck to Alaska
The road to Anchorage runs through Canada on the Alaska Highway, so bring passports or other documents accepted at the border, and plan on eight days or more at the wheel. Not every rental company lets its trucks go to Alaska. U-Pack published a quote for U-Haul's smallest truck, the 10-ft, one way from Portland, OR to Anchorage for a move in October 2025: $4,829 with equipment to tow a car, damage coverage and taxes, and about $600 less without the tow.
Fuel, food and lodging are extra: U-Pack estimated $758 of fuel from Portland. Starting farther from Alaska costs more. We found no dated published price for the larger trucks a 2-bedroom or bigger home needs. Source: U-Pack, shipping household goods to Alaska (October 2025 quotes) (opens in new tab).
Full-service movers
We found no full-service price for moves to Alaska that is dated and holds up against Matson's published rates, so the calculator asks you to get quotes. A full-service mover packs, trucks your things to the port, books the ocean leg and delivers in Alaska, so expect to pay more than the ocean freight in the table above.
What the published prices leave out
- Trucking and loading. Matson's rates start and end at the port or rail ramp. Get a trucking quote for each end along with the Matson booking, and ask about Fairbanks: Matson adds $1,067 per container northbound.
- Your car. Between Tacoma and Alaska, Matson lets one drained, registered gasoline car ride in your household-goods container (not an electric one); otherwise it ships separately: see what shipping a car to Alaska costs.
- Fuel surcharges move. Matson raised its Alaska household-goods fuel surcharge to 10.5% on April 12, 2026 and adjusts it with fuel prices.
Where people from Alaska move
The most common destinations in the latest IRS migration data, with the full cost comparison for each move:
- Alaska to Washington (1,600 households)
- Alaska to Texas (1,349 households)
- Alaska to California (1,143 households)
- Alaska to Florida (970 households)
- Alaska to Arizona (926 households)
- Alaska to Oregon (755 households)
- Alaska to Colorado (697 households)
- Alaska to North Carolina (518 households)
Before you book
- Compare the total cost of living in your destination with the Alaska relocation rankings.
- Get three written estimates and check each interstate mover's USDOT number with the FMCSA.
- Read how to cut the cost of a long-distance move and the moving out of state checklist.